Colin Hart, the former Deep Purple and Rainbow tour manager devoted over thirty years of his life to these great rock musicians. This is his story and indeed theirs. A tale of excess in terms of greed, petulance, anger and devotion. It is counter balanced by extremes of pure talent, showmanship and, of course musicianship. He was the constant 'man in the middle' through all of the break ups, make-ups and revolving door line-up changes. Joining them at twenty-four years old and leaving with a curt email dismissal thirty years later, he was there every step of their rock 'n' roll way. A story of two of the most innovative, often copied, rock bands; seen through the eyes, ears and emotions of their 'mother hen' (as Jon Lord described him). He was their minder, chauffeur, carer, provider, protector, father confessor & confidant. In truth he is the only one who can tell this tale of both bands as he was the only one there on the road throughout the life of, not one, but both gigantic bands.#colinhart #aheartlife #book #rainbow #purple #manager #jonlord #deeppurple #buy #now

Dear friends, fans, supporters, clients, bands .... Rocket Queen Promotion says THANK YOU for your continued support. Merry christmas to you and your loved ones and all best for a rocking and healthy 2014. Thank you for your trust in my work, for all cooperations, positive feedback and for being there! That rocks big time. WE WILL ROCK 2014. Also Rocket Queen Promotion like to send a big thank you to all clients for working together and for this positive working flow you are awesome and I admire you big time:Power Theory, Mike LePond`s Silent Assassins, Complex 7, Byron Nemeth, Ayscobe, Colorstone, Silver Dirt, Royal Acid Orchestra.Also a big shout out to all webzines, radios, webradios, magazines, blogs, record companies we are in touch with, Uwe at Im1 Tv which are supporting my awesome bands. We are very thankful for all the exposure given.

Samstag, 7. Dezember 2013

Symphony X bassist Mike Le Pond`s new musical project: Silent Assassins. Donate now to breathe life into the recordings, production and whatever is needed to make it big. Let us procure more money to make it big and to make it a success without being reliable on a record label. It is Mikes baby so let Mikes dream become true. Donate now! Any amount is welcome! Thank you in advance for your time and donation. Please also share this post with your friends.

Info: The name of the project and the album will be called "Mike LePond's SILENT ASSASSINS". It is a heavy metal/power metal record that combines all the influences of Mike`s favorite bands from the past and present. It is a full hour of headbanging riffs, kick ass vocals, and epic tales. There is something in there for any style of metal you enjoy! Metal Mike (#Halford, #Testament) is on lead guitar and Alan Tecchio (Autumn Hour, Watchtower) is on vocals.#Promotions by #RocketQueenPromotion

Freitag, 6. Dezember 2013

Here comes progressive rock from Italy. It is Umberto Paganinis project called Active Heed. The project is active since august 2012.

Active Heeds influences comes from bands like Yes, Genesis, Ayreon, Dream Theater to name a few. This is their first debut CD and you will be surprised about the singer and musicians talents.When you hear this CD you will think that they have been in the biz since many many years.

Active Heed s CD was released in September 2013. The CD contains 15 songs and you can purchase it through Amazon for example. Catchy tunes,

awesome vocals. Umberto Paganini wrote all lyris and music himself and did a bond with other musicians to breathe life into Active Heed.

For all those who haven`t checked out the band yet do it now. You can watch two videos on youtube: WITH JOY and MELTING OF REALITIES.

My personal favourite song by the way is FLYING LIKE A FLY. Also I love ME FIVE SECONDS before it is a real earworm. All songs are really made for radioairplay and broadcasting worldwide. Hope someone will detect this awesome band from Italy.

Dienstag, 3. Dezember 2013

Unfortunately Power Theorys current drummer Lorin will have to step down as his ankle will require surgery and it's affecting his mechanics, this is a difficult mutual decision by Lorin and the band. So the band are seeking a pro level metal drummer with impeccable timing and double bass skills to record the drum tracks for our new album and shows in January 2014 as well as Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse in April 2014 on Chicago. All interested parties please contact us here or via email at: hardattackent@gmail.com

Sonntag, 24. November 2013

Speaking with BB, Rhythm guitarist and band leader for BACK:N:BLACK. The Ultimate All-Girl Tribute to AC/DC. Starting in 2010, the band has played for audiences as large as 6,000, and as small as 100. Five girls, one vision: to rock.Hi dear BB, thank you so much for taking your time for an interview. Hope you are fine? Here are some questions for you:

BB: Hi Susi, doing very well, thank you!

With all due respect to the Gods of Rock N Roll, why do you want to copy a bunch of old men?

BB: Of course, we are not trying to copy a bunch of old men! First of all, we would have a gender and age problem…! We play AC/DC’s music for one reason: because we love the songs! AC/DC has been going strong for more than 40 years now, and their music is still very relevant to people of all places, genders and ages. They have a massive fan base--probably the biggest in rock. We all are part of this fan base and want to share our love for this music with other fans. Rock’n’roll is best when played live. When we are on stage playing these songs, the energy exchange with the people from the audience who love this music as much as we do is fantastic. It is electric. It is high voltage. This is how we pay tribute to AC/DC.

You are all over the internet – where are most of your fans based?

BB: Most of the people at our shows are from around the way, but our fans come from all over the world –Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, UK, USA, Brazil, even Indonesia!! The support is overwhelming! What is amazing is that even if people don't share a common spoken language, so many people from so many places around the world speak the language of rock'n'roll! It is crazy when you type "LTBR" (Let There Be Rock) and people all over the planet know what it means and start feeling the same adrenaline-rush!

Where can the fans buy band merchandise like a BACK:N:BLACK T-Shirt / DVD/ poster?

BB: We try to always have t-shirts and DVDs at our shows. For those who cannot make it, they can order them on our website www.backnblackgirls.com to help us pay for gas to drive to our shows and spread the BLACK! We have a really cool section on our Facebook page where you can see fans from all over the world showing off their BACK:N:BLACK pride. It is really heart-warming.

Are there any upcoming tours? When is your next live show?

BB: We just had a year of great shows in Switzerland and the UK. We even played at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival, along with Deep Purple and Brian May! This was an extraordinary experience for us and we are truly thankful for this opportunity. I can't even begin to explain to you how it felt to stay in front of the same stages where Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nirvana, and even Prince played! What an honor! I'm just glad that none of us peed our pants!Another highlight was the Verbier Bike Fest where we played for the third year in a row. I have a very special place in my heart for the Verbier stage. With so many fans, and so many friends, it is like a homecoming for us when we play.Next year, we will continue touring in Switzerland and probably go back to the UK, because our first concert at the Big Red in London has been a great success. We also look forward to shows in Italy, France and all over Europe. I think it would be a real kick in the balls to play cool places like Turkey and Greece where we could hang out at the beach (and of course, play a concert is absolutely necessary)!

What was the biggest show you ever played?

BB: Just considering the size of the audience, I think the biggest show we have played to date was Rock Oz’Arènes in Avenches, Switzerland, when we rocked right after ZZ Top. We were the last band of the night, and the whole ZZ Top crowd came to see us too! I like to look at it as a wild rock’n’roll party with a few thousand of our closest friends. Seriously, there were about 6000 people there, I would guess. But I can tell you, after you see the first ten rows of people going absolutely apeshit-crazy, it doesn't matter how many people exactly are there!

You have lots of pictures with BNB fans. Do you like meeting fans?

BB: Yes, we love to meet fans and talk about AC/DC! The cool thing is that we are all fans of the same thing. Personally, I always hated it when bands refused to talk to fans, or pretended they were somehow superior to the people who are watching them. If you ask us, we are all here because of one reason: because AC/DC rocks balls! If you look on YouTube, you can find a video where Brian Johnson even talks about one of his worst memories in rock'n'roll: when he asked Chuck Berry for his signature. Apparently, Chuck Berry treated Brian Johnson like absolute garbage. And now, 40 years later, Brian Johnson the fan has never forgotten it.

Please tell us some funny backstage story.

BB: I can tell you two stories. The first one is funny and the second one is tragic.One time when we were playing at a beer fest, our "backstage" was located right beside the men's bathroom. And, unfortunately, there was no way to lock the door at all! Now, at a beer fest, if you are in the audience, the basic concept is very simple: you try to visit the bar as frequently as possible, take whatever liquid is available there, pass it through digestive system, then try to dispose of it into the closest urinal as fast as you can -- then repeat. Of course, if you're in the band, the basic concept is to try to change your clothes as fast as possible before one of these drunk concert-goers accidentally comes backstage. I think we all learned two important tips that night: 1) that it is possible to change your bra and panties in less than 4 seconds, and 2) that most men actually jump the gun, so to speak, and take matters into their hands before they even get through the door of the bathroom. The combination of shock, surprise, embarrassment and guttural fear of giant tattooed bikers afraid of peeing their pants is something I don't think I will ever forget! I won't even start to explain what was in the cups backstage there, or why there was a stuffed beer-head on the couch.The sad story just happened about a week ago. This time, the backstage was up on the 4th floor and we had no elevator to carry up all of our stuff. Roberta, who was playing lead guitar that night, finally slipped after the 20th march up and down the stairs and twisted her ankle badly. She wanted to play while sitting on a chair, but we insisted that she had to go to the hospital. In the end, she got a giant cast all the way up her leg, and is recuperating from a broken ankle. When they said it was a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll, they didn't lie. By my calculations, it's about 160 flights of stairs...

Are there any other tribute bands in your surrounding?

BB: Yes, we have played a few shows with the best Aerosmith tribute in Europe: Eurosmith! They are amazingly talented musicians and Luca, their singer looks so uncannily like Steven Tyler you won’t believe your ears or eyes.Very recently we played a show in Switzerland, with a band called Reckless Roses. They are a Guns N’Roses tribute band from Hungary, and very cool guys! Not only do they sound like GN’R, they also look a lot like them! It was a great show! Also, when Carrie had a problem with her voice and couldn’t be there, Norbi (“Axl”) helped us by singing some songs with us on stage. That was the same night when Roberta broke her foot falling down the stairs backstage. The people were waiting to hear some AC/DC, so Randy (our most excellent constant tour companion and close friend) and Csabi (“Slash”) jumped onstage and did their best Angus style guitar playing with Kat, Angie and me. They saved the show! If there is one thing that I have learned on the long road of rock'n'roll, is that good deeds (and bad ones) are never forgotten. On the road, and onstage, everyone is a family, and helps make the show as cool as possible for the audience, no matter what happens.

Do you know AC/DC personally?

BB: I actually have met Angus Young. He was a very friendly guy, taking his time to meet fans and take pictures. I would love to meet the other guys too. It would be a dream come true to be able to sit down and talk to Malcolm about his stage setup, sound, and songwriting.

Does AC/DC care that you cover their songs?

BB: Brian Johnson said once in an interview that he loves all AC/DC tribute bands, so I guess they don’t mind. I would not understand how any band would mind another an other band playing their songs. It is a sign that they touch people’s souls so deeply with their music that they want to play it themselves. Also, I don’t think that AC/DC is afraid of our taking over the scene. Because there is only one AC/DC! We know this, our fans know this, and AC/DC knows this. One of my favorite videos on YouTube is of Brian Johnson just jumping onstage with a small bar band who was playing AC/DC songs at a local pub. You can tell by the look on Brian's face that he just loves rock'n'roll, no matter how big the audience.

BB You sound a lot like Malcolm Young. Tell us about your guitar rig. What is your secret?

BB: Thanks! I don’t use the same guitar and amp as Malcolm Young. I use a Les Paul Custom Shop and a Marshall JVM210 because this has a very nice crunchy sound. I play mostly in loud mid-range, that is to say not too bassy and not too trebly. Many people feel that the most important part of getting a good AC/DC sound is to buy this equipment or that vintage equipment. But for me, the most important thing is to have your own sonic space in the band and that no one competes with the others' frequencies. If you have two people playing the exact same amp with the exact same settings, they will probably bury each other, even if they have the most classic awesome vintage signature special whatever amps. But apart from equipment, the “secret”, if you want to call it that, is that I have listened to Malcolm Young’s playing obsessively. To me, how he moves his right hand is even more important than the guitar or even the amp he plays. His right hand is the secret to how he and Angus complement each other’s lines. It is how Malcolm stays rock solid in the back and fills the song with his ballsy riffs while Angus fiddles away like a madman. Many people may not realize it, but Malcolm Young is as important to Angus Young sounding cool as Angus himself is.

Do you use a wireless on stage?

BB: Yes, I do. I love that this is possible. Sometimes I like to jump off the stage and bang my head with the people in the audience. Even if the stage is giant, I'm going to jump off that stage the first chance I get and rock out with people eye to eye.

How long have you been playing?

BB: BACK:N:BLACK has been playing AC/DC since 2010. I have been playing for 10 years. I started with classical guitar, but had to give that up because they made me put my foot on a little stand and told me I had to sit still. So I got my first very ugly electric guitar and taught myself to rock. That same guitar is hanging on my wall right now, albeit in three pieces.

Where and when was your latest video filmed?

BB: Our latest video was filmed at the Verbier Bike Fest. The atmosphere was really great -- we all had a great time! It’s always such a pleasure to play that place! Friendly people, mountains, rock’n’roll…! Good times! Although Randy, who was filming us on the stage had a little misunderstanding with a biker during the show and almost kicked that guy’s ass. I am glad this didn’t happen and everything went smooth and happy. We love to play bike fests and get along great with bikers!

What are you spitting at the audience at the middle of the video?

BB: If you want blood… you’ve got it!!

Your singer looks like a serious headbanger. Is she into Slayer or what?

BB: Hahah, good question! Carrie gets really into it when she’s on stage. It’s so much fun to play with her, she has a really good energy and enjoys being onstage and singing these songs. I never asked her about Slayer, but I know she listens to a lot of different music, including some pretty heavy metal. For all of us in BACK:N:BLACK, we just bring to the stage the passion and rock'n'roll that is in our hearts and blood, so what you see in the videos is what you get on stage. No camera tricks, no patched-up sound, no studio guitars, no MTV magic, just straight-ahead rock'n'roll: dirty, sweaty, sexy and loud - just like we like it!

But it is very important to us that it is not all about the lead singer! Everyone in the band is important to make the show and the music what it is. Just like in AC/DC, everyone plays an irreplaceable role! No filler, no fluff, no printing beauty queens you can't play. Just balls out rock 'n roll. She looks great in pictures, but be clear, Angie Dee is a one powerhouse of pure rock 'n roll fire on the drums! Some people say she’s good-looking female version of Phil Rudd, but she has his unmistakable swing – something I have never heard in any other rock 'n roll drummer. Kat too, on bass is absolutely rock solid, and lays the foundation with Angie that we all ride on. It's funny, many fans only know her from her beautiful face in photos. But she would not be in the band if she didn't know how to rock serious balls. Same goes for Ely on lead guitar.

This the way it goes in our band – if you can't play really well, you just have to find another band. The great thing is that the audience knows this. The pictures are great fun and all, but for us, it is all about good music. And we have some serious music fans following us, which makes it all worth while!

What is that guy doing in your video? I thought you kicked people in the head if they tried to climb on stage!

BB: That guy’s name is Bison and he was there to help us do that show. Carrie unfortunately had a really nasty infection on her vocal chords and couldn’t sing all of the songs, so Bison stepped in to help. I do kick people off the stage when they dare come into our space. I love AC/DC, it's true, but I also love Nashville Pussy. And if you have ever seen how Ruyter takes care of drunks and fools who try to weasel onto her stage, you will think twice about getting on our stage uninvited! This being said, stick to the front row at our shows because you never know when we're going to share our beer with you, or you even get a free one, compliments of the Ladies from Hades.

Now the floor is yours... please leave a message for all your fans!

BB: All us girls in BACK:N:BLACK would like to thank our fans for the great support that we have gotten over years now. We are totally blown away! We hope to see you all on the road very soon! And don’t forget: If you want us to not only be friends on Facebook, tell your local clubs and venues about us – we’d love to come over and rock your socks (and your panties) off!

Thank you so much for the interview dear BB was nice talking to you... keep up the awesome work and rock the nations. Susi

BB: Thanks Susi! Thank you also for your great support to the rock’n’roll scene! Rock’n’Roll… It will survive!

#Swedenrocks: Colorstone﻿ and Rocket Queen Promotion﻿ say THANK YOU for 16.840 views of the new video GOTTO GROOVE that is truely #awesome. So like, share and view the video if you haven`t and let us reach the 20.000 in the short run!

Montag, 18. November 2013

Colorstone﻿ made it to Sweden Rocks voting once again... from today on keep voting and voting and voting ... you can vote one time per day so please vote from 18th November to 10th January and do it each day... letz bring Colorstone to rock swedens coolest festival.... Please also spread the word and tell yourr friends to vote as well. You DONT need to register at all so it doesnt hurt if you help us out. THANK you from the heart http://www.swedenrock.com/index.cfm?pg=82#sweden #colorstone #rock #swedenrock #competition #voting

Montag, 11. November 2013

POWER THEORY had an amazing time last saturday playing and hanging out at JB McGinnes in Delaware and would like to thank and shout out to: Magnetar Media and Michael Alberque for putting it together and Season of Mourning for providing the backline. Thank you for the support.

Montag, 23. September 2013

Happy and proud to announce that Alan D`Angelo (Power Theory) secured an endorsement from DR Strings. He`s using them exclusively on all his basses and will continue to do so. MUCH thanks to Timmy Osborne for putting him in contact with Steve Bello, who brokered the endorsement.

1. This Is The Picture Excellent Birds2. San Jacinto3. Shock The Monkey4. Family Snapshot5. Intruder6. Games Without Frontiers7. No Self Control8. Mercy Street9. The Family And The Fishing Net10. Don`t Give Up11. Solsbury Hill12. Lay Your Hands On Me13. Sledgehammer14. Here Comes The Flood15. In Your Eyes16. Biko

Sonntag, 1. September 2013

Our dear brother Datis Alaee﻿ will debute POWER THEORY﻿ s new song Cut & Run on his show this morning, Sept. 1st from 8:00 to 10:00 am US Eastern Standard time (14:00 to 16:00 CET) during what promises to be ONE HELL OF A SHOW on Metal Messiah Radio so tune in and get in the chat room \m/ Please spread the word. We thank you so much.

Donnerstag, 29. August 2013

Power Theory will world premiere a new track "Cut and Run" from the forthcoming full length album "Driven by Fear" on WVOX - NY WVOX.comThe track features the new lineup of "BB" Ballinger on Guitar, Alan D'Angelo on Bass, Nygil Hoch on Guitar, Jeff Rose on Vocals, and Lorin Savadove on Drums.Power Theory will kick off a 15 city US tour on 10/01/13 in Webster Hall in NYC in direct support of Vicious Rumors and Seven Witches."Cut and Run" will also be available for streaming after the premiere at: http://gunshyassassin.com/as arranged by Rocket Queen PromotionsFor more tour information and updates please visit :www.powertheory.net

1. Introduction2. Spotlight Kid3. Too Late For Tears4. Long Live Rock `n` Roll / Black Night5. Hunting Humans6. Wolf To The Moon / Difficult To Cure7. Keyboard Solo8. Still I'm Sad9. Man On The Silver Mountain10. Temple Of The King11. Black Masquerade12. Ariel13. since You`ve Been Gone14. Perfect Strangers15. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves16. Hall Of The Mountain King17. Burn18. Smoke On The Water

Freitag, 26. Juli 2013

Byron Nemeth - A New Freedom with Mark Boals on vocals will be aired on iM1 starting calendar week 31... so tune in every day to see ‪#‎ByronNemeth‬ s new video monday to friday between 18.30 and 19.00 Uhr and sunday till tuesday 23.00 Uhr www.im1.tv

1. Draw The Line2. Love In An Elevator3. Livin` On The Edge4. Hangman Jury5. No More No More6. Mama Kin7. Monkey On My Back8. Toys In The Attick9. Listen To The Thunder10. Sweet Emotion11. Boogie Man12. Rats In The Cellar13. Movin` Out14 Last Child15. S.O.S. (Too Bad)16. Walk This Way17. Train Kept A Rollin`

Your debut CD is called Darkness Rising: The Tale of Derek Blackheart. What is it all about?

It is a concept CD telling the story of Derek Blackheart. He becomes a master on the guitar when he’s a young boy and dreams of having the biggest metal band in the world. One night he meets the Dark Master and sells his soul for his dream. Derek and his metal band "Blackheart" becomes the biggest heavy metal band in the world, selling millions of records and playing to sold out arenas all over the world. Finally, he grows tired of what he’s doing and wants out. Thinking his only escape is to die, he takes his own life at his Beverly Hills mansion. To late he finds that, even in death, there is no escape from the Dark Master.

It is a dark story and it doesn’t have a happy ending. I based the overall idea for the concept loosely on Queensryche Operation Mindcrime and Judas Priest Nostradamus.

There are some people out there, which didn`t get in touch with your music yet. So how would you describe your style of music to them?

Our music is a combination of the old school European heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queenryche) that I loved and today’s symphonic/goth metal (Kamelot, Pagans Mind, Threshold). We have been compared to a number of bands like Crimson Glory and Mercy Fate but, we get a lot of comparison to Queensryche though. I think that is because of the vocals mostly.

What is the next goal you want to reach with your band?

Right now we are gearing up to get out live in support of the CD. We are going to be putting on quite a show and we know people will be blown away. I guess the next goal is to get our butts over to Europe on tour and then look at Japan and South America.

And what is Absolon doing at the moment?

We are rehearsing, rehearsing and rehearsing. We have three new members, all incredible musicians. We hope to start performing sometime in September.

Is there any chance to see you in Europe some time soon?

Well, that’s going to be up to our record label Liquid Tree Records and the company that will be putting together a tour. In fact, our good friend Kimmy B. Shade is working on that. She is great so, I know that we will be over there in the future. We can’t wait, I can tell you that!

Whats your next show in the USA you are going to play?

We are probably going to be doing our first show with the new members sometime in September. The plan is to make a CD release show/party too. Right now, it looks like it will be held at club in Orlando, Florida called The Haven.

Which side projects do the band members have besides Absolon?

Hummmm...well, the bass player performs here and there in a band that does all Rush songs. This guy can play Rush songs note for note, he’s that good. Our keyboard player also writes and produces his own music. I think it’s mostly electronica/dubstep stuff but, it’s really good. Not sure if the other guys are doing any side projects right now. Absolon IS my project! LOL

Which music do you listen to when you have got some spare time?

I listen to a wide variety of music. I still love old school European metal so, I’ll have Maiden and Priest and Saxon blasting away. I love Kamelot, Pagans Mind, Epica and Lacuna Coil. There’s a lot of new bands and artists out that I’m really getting into. I discovered an incredible artist with wonderful music named Ryo Utasato from Japan. Her music blows me away. Then I also love mood music, Andrea Bocelli, modern jazz, instrumental . . . just a lot of different stuff. The only styles of music I don’t really care for is Country and Rap.

Last but not least please leave a message for all your fans.

Well, we are all about our fans which keep growing. I don’t care how good a band is or how popular they might be, without the fans there would be no band. We just want to put on the best show we can and give our fans and potential fans their monies worth. I love being on stage and before an audience. There is no bigger thrill for me. And we very much hope we are going to be coming to Europe soon to play for our many fans there. Horns up Absolon Nation!!!!

Sonntag, 14. Juli 2013

The brainchild of guitar genius Keri Kelli (Alice Cooper) and drummer master James Kottak (Scorpions) is an all star band paying tribute to the best of the best from the world of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock in a way that one can truly say it's paying tribute not just playing some covers.This time James was out of the fold and on the drum stool was a man of great talent, mr. Jimmy DeGrasso who you might know from a little band called Megadeth. Other members of the group were Robbie Crane from Ratt and Vince Neil's Solo Band on Bass, Teddy "ZigZag" Andreadis from Guns & Roses and Alice Cooper on Keyboards and Harmonica and ofcourse the vocals are handeled by the best heavy metal vocalist out there mr. Tim "Ripper" Owens.

It was clear from the very start that this was going to be not only a very special, but a very fun night. The band was in brilliant spirits from the very start, joking and goofing around with brilliant chemistry, especially between Tim and Keri and that also conveyed to the audience, which was rocking like there was no tomorrow....I know I was.From the opening notes of of the Black Sabbath classic Neon Knights it fast became obvious that these guys surely know how to play. Keri nailed the song, added a lot of his own, but still made it sound clearly Iommish. Not something everyone can do...I knew Keri's work with Alice Cooper and I was always very impressed with his playing. With both the old classics and especially on the heavier Brutal Planet stuff. He is a world class guitarist, there is no question about that.Teddy ZigZag also proved with his many spotlight moments that he is one heck of a keyboard player and can give out truly stellar preformances. Nothing bad can be said about Robbie Crane either, a thundering bassist...and loud...I mean shake your pants loud. Jimmy's drumming was top notch as well and the sound he got out of that rather small drum kit was incredible, so much punch you wouldn't believe!

The set list consisted mainly of stuff from bands that Tim, Keri and Teddy had been in..but they also threw in some Scorpions (Big City Nights and Rock You Like A Hurricane) eventhough James Kottak wasn't able to join the band on the Finland shows. As well as couple of Ozzy tunes, Crazy Train and Mr. Crowley, both which went very well with the crowd. Ofcourse Tim has preformed Mr. Crowley before on an Ozzy tribute album so that one again had a clear connection to him. Also Motörhead's classic Ace Of Spades was a real highlight with the crowd as we got to do some singing again!

Black Sabbath's classic Paranoid got a whole new interpretation when Teddy belted out his Harmonica and delivered a long and furious solo in the middle of the song! Which was a real highlight, that song has been overplayed to death but adding something new to it is a novelty, which I truly enjoyed!The inclusion of Deep Purple's Highway Star was a real shocker! (Granted I got hinted it was coming before the show by the man himself, but still what a treat!) Tim sang it to absolute perfection. Reaching highnotes that even young Ian Gillan would be envious of. Teddy introduced the song with a nice keyboard solo, which was very Jon Lordish (god rest his soul) and Keri belted out a solo that both Steve and Ritchie would have been proud of. Highway Star is one of my favourite Purple classics and this version left no one in the room cold.Teddy got to do some more keyboarding as he played an instrumental of November Rain by Guns & Roses as an intro to Mr. Crowley...

The three Judas Priest tracks that were scattered in the set were the classics Hell Bent For Leather, Living After Midnight and the crowd favourite sing-a-long Breaking The Law and Tim delivered the goods on them like only he could. It's hard to imagine it's been over 10 years since he was with Priest, he hasn't lost an inch of his voice...just incredible.The two Alice Cooper tracks also proved to be real treats! Although I was secretly hoping for something from Brutal Planet, would have loved to hear Tim tackle the title track or maybe Wicked Young Man!Tim took time to talk about Ronnie James Dio, the greatest singer who ever lived, before the band launched into a furious version of Rainbow In The Dark, which the crowd more than happily sang along with...loud.We also got a bit of an improv jam as Tim asked Robbie to give him some bass and he went into the Iron Maiden classic The Number Of The Beast which Tim and Jimmy then joined in for a short while!

But the real highlight and the moment I was looking for the most was the last encore...I knew there was no way they would go off stage without preforming one of the greatest songs ever made, Black Sabbath's HEAVEN AND HELL. Once the first notes exploded so did the crowd, singing along that iconic riff without Tim even asking for it. Then (just like Ronnie) he asked us to sing it again...loud...and we surely did. That was a very emotional thing. That song just always does it for me. Now that Ronnie's no longer with us, the only person who can do that song the proper justice is Tim. What an amazing conclusion to an amazing night.

The crowd was truly into the music like only a bunch of true Finnish Headbanging Bastards could ever be, and Tim even noticed it and gave us some high praises. Like I've always said when it's clear that the band is having a great time on stage, it's so much easier for the crowd to join into the fun...and that surely happened on this summer's night at Old Texas. It was one big party....with one hell of a band.

Considering the variety of the material played here it is more than clear why I consider Tim the best singer in the metal world right now...his versatility is incredible. If there is a song he can't sing, I sure as hell haven't heard it yet. The over 90 minute set flew by and the crowd was left with a sense of satisfaction that only a night of Heavy Metal extravaganza can provide.